March 01, 2010

I'm in a bit of disbelief that it's actually March today... but so happy too! March has the promise that Spring will soon be here {pLeaSe??!!!} & the month that our Miss Lydia came into our life! We're in full swing planning the little lady's party & the invitations have been sent. It may seem a bit selfish, but the party is not just for her, but for Dan & I too... our kid's birthday parties are often some of the only times we get to see our friends with kids! It's just plain fun to gather with our family & friends & watch all the kids play together. Now with all the pictures we captured this weekend of the little lady... here is one of her room that I had decorated up for her pictures:

and one of Lydia... this is how we started out, but I love it because she has her "stinky pinky"... probably the only "baby" thing she is holding on to right now {I hope she keeps it forever}

OH... & guess what we did this weekend? Well, I enjoyed a great evening with my sisters at a movie & dinner & a little shopping. We were celebrating my sister Kim's birthday! It was a great time & I always LOVE being able to spend time with them. I love you girls :)

Dan has been doing lots of finishing up of little {& big} things around the house lately. Everything is looking great & it's nice to see all the beauty of our house coming about more & more every day.

Evan also made his First Confession yesterday, a part of getting prepared to make his First Communion in May. I can't believe it's that time already! He did a great job & wasn't nervous at all! After we were done at Church, we took Lydia across the way to HTC preschool open house. That's right, with the little lady turning 3 soon, I've been in disbelief that I even have to think abut this... but she really loved it & didn't want to leave! It should be great fun for her {but yes, I'm a little sad she's really growing up}.

oh... did you see all the fabulous digi elements up there? you can get them here!

February 26, 2010

Well, it wasn't easy...I knew it wouldn't be. Little girl w/ attitude started off flailing on the floor, crying, definitely NOT wanting to get pictures taken. Then with a little calm talk, some smarties, some tickles & the thought of a tea party in her head... finally we got her to cooperate! My sister Carol is definitely amazing with the camera {thank you Carol we LOVE you!}. I think between the two of us we captured almost 200 pics! I'm wishing I would have had a hidden video camera in her room at the time too... it is so funny the things that come from this little person! First thing I did was put together a new birthday invitation with some of the pictures... so I *think* this is the final one...

of course I'll be sharing more of the pictures... maybe I'll do a photo a day in March {since it is her month!} I *LoVe* new pictures :)

so our "impromptu" plan for Miss Lydia's 3 year old photo shoot is to have aunt Carol come & take some pictures in her room {as per her request}. We've taken several photos in her room & they've all turned out great. I've picked out a cute little ensemble for the little lady & now, the big struggle will be to actually get her into it. She's been a little difficult when it comes to the clothing department. Don't get me wrong, she loves clothes, but actually getting them on her can become quite the production. So, just in case the clothes don't get on her or all the pictures turn into action shots... here's the cuteness {from Target, of course}!

February 21, 2010

found some great digital scrapbooking deals over the last week or so... I've been collecting :) he're is a super quick layout {basically just had to stick in my photos, patterned paper background & journaling block & it was good to go}. this template was from katie over at designer digitals {btw... I think they're still have the entire store on sale}.

February 18, 2010

YES!!! WoW. I've been seeing these cute little puffy flowers all over when checking out my fave blogs recently. You could say I was giddy when I found the tutorial from one of my favorite designers Rhonna Farrer! I've been hooked on all the beautiful inspiration I've been getting there & can't wait to try it all! Check out my first trial of these super cute, super easy little buggers here {I had to stop at 3... really, I still need my coffee people!}:

My plan is to create a whole load of these to make garland for Miss Lydia's birthday party & then they will become part of her room decor! I'm thinking of all kinds of way I can add some interesting color effects to the filters... I'll let you know how that goes. WARNING: creating these little stinkers is highly addicting. Be prepared to have large amounts of coffee filters & hot glue sticks on the premises.

February 10, 2010

So months ago, we had half-heartedly decided to remove the binky from Lydie's everyday routine. She has been without it at her babysitters for several months, but knows that when she's at home, it was fully available. We really weren't too concerned with the idea of no binky, just because we know full well {because Collin & Evan were binky babies too} how comforting it can be. But, with Lydie's 3rd birthday right around the corner & lots more talking going on, we decided we just needed to bite the bullet & go cold turkey. Last Thursday, while she was away at the sitter's, I packaged all her beloved binkies up & hid them away. When I brought her home that day, of course she asked for it & went to search them out, but alas, with no binkies available, proceeded into a meltdown. Luckily, this lasted for all of about 10-15 minutes. There were a few more requests through the night, but she very easily fell asleep & slept through the night. Friday, she was home with me & again, there were only a few requests, but she quickly got the idea that her binkies were not available. The weekend went very smoothly & we are so proud of our little girl! So, now around here there may be a little more sass & a slight bit more drama, but we are thoroughly enjoying all the interesting chatter that is coming from Lydia without being muffled by her beloved binky.

Thought I'd share some pictures I took of Miss Lydia on Friday... I picked up a few surprises for her for doing such a great job {Dora coloring book & new markers}